Magnetic razor.



B. AMES.

MAGNETIC RAZOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE H, 1911.

1,299,097. Patented Apr. 1,1919.

Juvefio 7": Bwizer K34777166,

BUTLER AMES, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAGNETIC niizon.

Application filed June 11, 1917. Serial No. 178,928.

Tooll'whomz't may contem:

Be it known that I, BUTLER AMEs, a c1t1- zen of the United States of America, and resident of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Magnetic Razors, of which the following is a specification; I

This invention relates to cutting devices and more particularly to safety razors of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,192,367.

Safety razors of the general charaeterof the subject-matter of the present applica fion ve usually comprised a guard membar and a cap member disposed over the guard member for holding the blade in posltion between the two members. Screw means or some other mechanical mechanism has usually been employed for holding the arts together while the devices are in use. uch mec has involved a substantial ince in cost of manufacture, it has involved considerable inconvenience in use, and it has involved screw-threads and the like, which have rendered the device diflicult to clean and therefore more or less unwrzl:

It is the object of the resent invention to overcome the above difiibulties and to pro duce a device which may be simplyand cheaply constructed, which is exceedingly -convenient in operation, requirin no manipulation of screws or other mec anism in atta and detaching the parts to and horn each other, and which is wholly sanitary; or objects of the invention such as improving the efiiciency of the devlce by associating the blade and other detachable parts with the supporting member in a novel aim and improving the guard member by ch its cooperative relationship with the main supporting member, w il1 be apparent fi'oln the following descriptlon and the accompanying drawings, in which 1: 1 is an end elevation of one emboent of the invention;

2 is a side elevation of the same embodiment; Fig. 3 is a. view similar to F1g. 1, showingpartsinsection; and p Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts in detached relationshi The particular embodiment of the inven-' tion, chosen for the purpose of illustratlon, comprises magnet means, preferably in the Specification of Letters Patent.

is not attracted by considerable Patented Apr. I, I912.

form of a U-magnet as shown at 1, a. guard member 2 adapted to fit over pins 3 projectlng from the pole faces of the U-magnet 1, a blade 4 and a cap member 5. The pins 3 are adapted to project through openings 7 in the guard member 2, thence through openings 8 in the blade 4 and thence into recesses 9 in the cap member 5, as shown most clearly -in Fig. 3. The cap member 5 is made of steel or other magnetic material so that when the parts are assembled in the manner described the magnetism produced y U-magnet 1 is caused to flow through the cap member and draw it toward the poles of the magnet in such manner as to hold the parts in position sufiiciently tightly for all ordinary uses. Inasmuch as the blade is ordinarlly of-magnetic material, some of the flux of the magnet will flow. therethrough, but this flux is obviously useful for holding the blade in position.

A cardinal feature of my invention resides in the construction of the guard member 2 and its relationship to the U-magnet 1. In my prior patent above referred to I have disclosed a guard member composed of "nonmagnetic material such as brass, the member being formed of this material so as not to shunt magnetic flux from theblade and cap member therethrough. When the guard member is made of non-magnetic material it fore not held in position by the magnet except when the blade and cap member are in position thereupon. For the purpose of cleaning the parts of the device and particularly the guard member and for other purposes, it is at times desirable to have the guard member in the form of a detachable part so that it may be readily removed from the magnet. According to the present invention, therefore, I preferably make the guard member a detachable part of the device, it merely fitting snugly around the pins 3 when in position so, as not to be laterally displaced with respect to the poles of the magnet, and in order to maintain the guard in position when the blade and cap member are removed, as well as for other purposes, I preferably form the guard member of magnetic material such as steel. By making the guard relatively thin as shown in the drawings the amount of flux shunted therethrough from the blade and cap is inappreciable, and when using a U-magnet of strength this shunting does not the magnet and is therereduce the attraction of the magnet for the blade and cap suflicientl to interfere with the effective operation the device.

Another cardinal feature of the present invention comprises the cotiperative rela-' tionship between the guard, blade and cap and the U-magnet.- If the pins 3 were made of magnetic material a relatively large amount of flux would ass therethrough into the cap member 5 an inasmuch as the pins project a' considerable distance into the cap member 5 much of this flux would flow from r the pins to the cap member more or less ra- 1 pins and the cylindrical walls of the recesses in the cap are not increased by a slight upward displacement of the cap member. I

therefore preferably formthe pins 3 of nonmagnetic material so that substantially no gux will flow therethrough to the cap mem- When forming the pins 3 of non-magnetic material the effective area of the pole faces 10 and 11 of the magnet 1 is reduced by an amount equal to the cross-sectional area of the pins. This tends to increase the reluctance of the magnetic circuit at the pole faces and to avoid such an increase, as well as for other purposes, I form the pole faces 10 and 11 obliquely with respect to the axes of the poles of the 'magnet. By virtue of this obliquity the areas of the pole faces are made considerably greater than the crosssectional areas of the poles of the magnet, and by making the obliquity sufficiently great the areas of the Pole faces, even when reduced by the provision of, the non-magnetic pins 3, is at least as great as the cross-sectional area of the poles, whereby the reluctance of the magnetic circuit is not increased in the region of the pins. Another advantage in making the pole faces oblique is that the guard and blade are held at a more convenient angle to the magnet, which also functions as a handle.

' The operation of the device is as follows: The guard member 2 is fitted over the pins 3, the blade 4 is then fitted over the pins and the ca member is finally placed in position over t e blade. This completes a magnetic circuit through the magnet, from one pole face through the guard, blade and cap to the other pole face, and the magnetism flowing through this magnetic circuit holds the parts tightly in position. While the opposing faces of the guard and cap members may be given any suitable contour, they .are preferably made flat so that the parts fit accurately and closely together, thereby reducing the air gaps to a While the de vice 'is not in use the parts are preferably left-in operative position so that the magnetic quality of the U-magnet will not be unduly dissipated. To detach the parts from each other it isonly necessary to grip parts are of magnetic material so that when the'cap is removed the blade and guar are held in position and when both the capand blade are removed the guard is held in posi- .the guard and cap'members at the opposite tion bythe magnetic action of the magnet.

While the shape of the magnet may be varied within the scope of the present invention, it only bein essential that one or more poles be dispose in such manner as to attract the parts and hold them together, I prefer to employ a U-magnet inasmuch asit afi'ords two spaced pole pieces and also afi'ords a handle which is very convenient in shaving. V

Certain modified embodiments of the present invention are disclosed and claimed in my copending applications Sr. No. 17 3,110, filed June 6, 1917, and Sr. No. 173,841, filed June 9, 1917, and I hereby make reference to these applications as showing variations in the manner of applying the invention, some of which are common to the embodiment disclosed in the present application.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of magnet means having an elongate magnetic member, at least one end face of the elongate member-being oblique 4 to the axis of the member, and a cutting blade adapted to be held along said oblique end face by the magnetic action of the magnet means.

2. In a device of the character described, the'combinationof magnet means having an elongate magnetic member, at least one end face of the elongate member being oblique to the axis of the member, a guard member disposed along said oblique end face, and a cutting blade adapted to be held against the face of the guard member by the magnetic action of the magnet means, I

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of magnet means having an elongate magnetic member, at least one end face of the elongate member being oblique to the axis of the member,,a guard member disposed along said oblique end face, and a magnetic cap member disposed over the guard member, whereby a cutting blade may be held in position between the ard and cap members by the magnetic act1on,of the magnet means. i

4, In a device of the character described, the combination of magnet means having an elongate magnetic member, one or both end faces of the elongate member being disposed in a plane oblique to the axis of the member, a guard member disposed along said end faces, a magnetic cap member disposed over the guard member so as to be drawn toward the guard member by the magnet means and thereby hold a utting blade between the cap and guard members, and means extending through the blade and guard into recesses in the cap member and in the ends of the elongate member for preventing lateral movement of the parts relatively to each other, each end face having, by virtue of said obliquity, an area at least substantially as great as the minimum cross-sectional area of the elongate member notwithstanding said recesses.

5. A razor comprising a U-magnet, the end faces of the U-magnet being disposed in a plane oblique to the axes of the two arms of the magnet, and a blade adapted to be held against said faces by the magnetic action of the said magnet.

6. A razor comprising a U-magnet, the end faces of the U-magnet being disposed in a plane oblique to the axes of the two arms of the magnet, a blade adapted to be held against said faces by the magnetic action of the said magnet, and pins projecting from said faces through openings 1n the blade.

7. A safety razor comprising a U-magnet, the end faces of the u magnet being disposed in a plane oblique to the axes of the two poles of the magnet, a guard disposed along said faces, a blade disposed upon the guard, a magnetic cap disposed over the blade, and non-magnetic pins extending through openings in the blade and guard and into recesses in the cap and poles, the area of the pole faces being, by virtue of said obliquity, at least as great as the minimum crosssectional area of the U magnet notwithstanding the recesses in the poles.

8. A safety razor comprising magnet means having a magnetic pole, a guard member disposed against said pole, the guard member being composed of magnetic material, and a cutting blade, the guard member and cutting blade being adapted to be held in position on the magnetic pole by the magnetic action of the magnet means.

9. A safety razor comprising a U-magnet, a thin guard member of magnetic material disposed along the pole faces of the U-magnet, and a cutting blade disposed on the guard member, the guard member and cutting blade being arranged to be held in position on the poles of the U-magnet byithe magnetic action of the magnet.

10. A safety razor comprising a U-magnet, a magnetic guard member disposed along the pole faces of the U-magnet, and a cap member disposed over the guard member so as to be urged toward the guard member by-the magnetic action of the U-magnet, and the guard member being of such cross-sectional area as to shunt only a relatively small amount of flux from the cap member therethrough.

Signed by me at Lowell, Massachusetts, this 2nd day of June, 1917.

BUTLER AMES. 

